Pray Without Ceasing
 "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye
have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves
know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a
thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and
safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them,
as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not
escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that
day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the
children of light, and the children of the day: we are not
of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not
sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be
drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are
of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith
and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For
God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us,
that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves
together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love
for their work's sake. And be at peace among
yourselves.
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are
unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the
weak, be patient toward all men. See that none
render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that
which is good, both among yourselves, and to all
men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In
every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.
Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast
that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of
evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also
will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren
with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this
epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
I Thessalonians Chapter 5
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We want to invite you to join us in a continuous prayer
vigil. Each person is being asked to select 1 hour
every day to be in prayer, and to devote that time in
prayer each day of the week. With everyone joining in
from around the world, we can have continual prayer
wrought 24 hours each day.
If you would like to submit a prayer request for
inclusion in this effort, please feel free to submit it to our message
board.
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No Grim Reaper - Part II
In the last issue of The Omega Times, we discussed
the root, response, and consequence of patriarchal
rebellion. We examined how the doctrine of a Jezebel
spirit inspires hatred of a father by encouraging
disrespect for patriarchy.
When people choose their own way, come against
rightful authority, and seek to do things opposed
to the word of God, it is because they hate the
image of a father. Sin is personal to God, whether we
realize it or not. God stated it this way,"And the
LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of
the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have
not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I
should not reign over them." (I Samuel 8:7)
God's response is to send forth the spirit of Elijah to
confront this Jezebel doctrine. Just as in the days of
Elijah, God will call on the people to make a choice - if
the Lord be God, then serve Him. If Baal, then serve
him. What is the precursor to this point of decision? A
supernatural display of power. It must be shown once
and for all who God really is so that the faith of man
may be established, not in word but in a
demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
The time of harvest is a volatile time, a time of
decision and of war. In this edition of the
newsletter, we will look at the steps the Church must
take in order to prepare for the harvest.
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Preparing for Harvest
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a
good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest."
Joshua 1:9
As the children of Israel prepared to enter the
Promised Land, God repeatedly instructed them to be
strong and of good courage. He had taken them
through the wilderness to teach their hands to war.
Now was the time to put into practice what they had
learned. One of their first challenges was to cross the
Jordan River. In describing the crossing, Scripture
says:
"And as they that bare the ark were come unto
Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark
were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan
overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That
the waters which came down from above stood and
rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that
is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward
the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were
cut off: and the people passed over right against
Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the
covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the
midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on
dry ground, until all the people were passed clean
over Jordan." Joshua 3:15-17
Because it was the time of harvest, the banks of the
Jordan had overflowed. It was physically impossible
for the estimated 1.5 million Israelites to cross the
Jordan with all of their provisions in their own
effort. This is the first lesson that God needed to
teach His people: you cannot make this journey in
your own strength. God was also using this
experience to confirm His anointing on Joshua;
showing that He was with Joshua just as He had
been with Moses. Further, with the exception of
Joshua & Caleb (and their families) this was a new
generation of Israelites. Their fathers had been killed
off in the wilderness due to their stiffnecked rebellion,
so these people had no first-hand knowledge of how
God had delivered them from Egypt. They needed a
show of God's power to know beyond a shadow of a
doubt that He was able to bring them into the land He
had promised. Lastly, it was a sign to Israel's
enemies that God was coming in power to restore His
people.
Notice that the waters were cut off at the city of
Adam. This represents a transition into a new
inheritance. In the Garden of Eden, God placed
Adam in charge of creation; he was given dominion
over the earth. God established a patriarchal order as
a reflection of His own authority in the earth. Yet, the
devil beguiled Eve into disobeying God's words and
she in turn seduced her husband into doing the
same. This fall of man birthed the beginning of the
Adamic nature; an upside-down kingdom
where man became the opposite of what he was
created to be.
Instead of being God-conscious, man became self-
conscious. Instead of being led by the Spirit of God,
man was led by his five carnal senses. Instead of
being under the protective headship of a patriarch,
man was cut off from his head (Jesus) and subject to
the whims of the devil. Believe me church, I don't care
what society says, matriarchal rulership is a curse
from God. (Isaiah 3:12) What was meant to bring life
(Eve) became death to man because proper headship
was usurped. The consequences of that perversion
have continued throughout time. The only thing that
could turn the tide and reconcile man back to God
was the death and resurrection of Christ. Through the
cross, the lineage of Adam is cut off and we are made
partakers of a Godly inheritance, a divine nature. The
parting of the Jordan River at the City of Adam during
this time of harvest is symbolic of our being crucified
with Christ. It is the blood of Jesus being applied to
our souls that allows us to "pass clean over" Jordan
into God's promises.
The harvest is described in Eastons Bible Dictionary
as follows:
The season for gathering grain or fruit. On the 16th
day of Abib (or April) a handful of ripe ears of corn was
offered as a first-fruit before the Lord, and immediately
after this the harvest commenced. It began with the
feast of Passover and ended with Pentecost, thus
lasting for seven weeks.
Look at the timing of the season of harvest: it begins
with preparation for the Lamb's death and continues
to the manifestation of the Holy Spirit as the the church
is endowed with power from on high. "Seven
weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number
the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to
put the sickle to the corn."
(Deuteronomy 16:9)
The church has entered a new season. As we
prepare to reap a harvest in the world, God is raising
up a new generation from among the young. God is
through striving with a people who will not go; a
people who have seen His work and been a partaker
of His blessings, but have become complacent in
their relationship with Him. Under the leadership of
patriarchs who have come out from Egypt and
dedicated themselves in service to the Lord, God will
bring this new generation into a confrontation with the
enemy so that His kingdom will be established in the
hearts of men and His promises fulfilled. Preceding
this fulfillment is a re-establishment of the order which
He has ordained.
"And it came to pass, when all the people were
clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto
Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the
people, out of every tribe a man, and command ye
them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of
Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood
firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with
you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye
shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve
men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel,
out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them,
Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into
the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a
stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number
of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be
a sign among you, that when your children ask their
fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by
these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the
waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the
covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan,
the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones
shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for
ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua
commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the
midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua,
according to the number of the tribes of the children of
Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place
where they lodged, and laid them down there. And
Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in
the place where the feet of the priests which bare the
ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this
day." Joshua 4:1-9
Before we can move on to claim the promise, we must
re-establish the patriarchy of God. Having cut-off
the old, Adamic nature, we have become born again
into a new lineage. God commands the Israelites to
set-up a memorial of twelve stones, one for each of
the patriarchs of Israel as a reflection of the
foundation upon which faith must be established.
Just as Jesus' death killed the Adamic nature, Joshua
by himself sets up a memorial at the very place where
the Jordan River was cut-off. And just as Christ tells
us to pick up our cross and follow Him, each tribe had
to carry a stone to establish the same memorial in
their lodging place.
As they come out of the Jordan River, Scripture states
that Israel encamped in the east border of Jericho.
Here, God does one of those things that just might
leave you scratching your head.
"At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make
thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children
of Israel the second time. And Joshua made him
sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at
the hill of the foreskins. And this is the cause why
Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of
Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died
in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of
Egypt. Now all the people that came out were
circumcised: but all the people that were born in the
wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt,
them they had not circumcised." Joshua 5:2-5
There are times when you might wonder just what
God is doing. Times when to the natural eye, it
seems like God has brought you to a place where
there is no possible way of escape. I can envision
that this could have been one of those times for
Israel. They had made it through the wilderness.
They had made it across the Jordan. They were ready
to fight, and God says to circumcise them. Can you
imagine being Israel at this point? Camped by
Jericho, at the enemy's border, and God
eliminates their ability to fight and defend themselves.
Positioned right outside Jericho, they could have been
taken out by the enemy at any given moment. Worse
still, they had to stay there in that place of vulnerability
until they had healed enough to move on.
Again, the natural man might say, "Um, God. Don't
you think you should have circumcised us
before we crossed the Jordan? I mean, why
bring us right to the enemy and then place us in the
most vulnerable state we could be in. We are like
sitting ducks." Yet, this is exactly where God wanted
them. Many of us wonder what God is doing in our
lives. We are in a position where it seems as if the
devil can destroy us at a second's notice. Yet, this is
also a place where we learn complete dependence
upon God. If God does not stay the hand of the
enemy, if God does not provide supernatural
protection and provision, then we will be destroyed.
The sheer circumstances of our situation are enough
to compel us to seek God like we never have before,
and it is from this place that we are given marching
orders.
Remember, the harvest commences with the
Passover, but continues to the coming of the Holy
Ghost. In Acts 7:51, Stephen stated to the people,
"Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and
ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your
fathers did, so do ye." Before we can engage in
battle with the enemy, all resistance to the Holy Ghost
must be removed. A circumcision of the heart will
make us pliable to God and allow us to hear His
words so that we can know what to do. It also
eradicates any flesh that could contaminate His words
of life as they come through us to reach the lost.
The world's image of the grim reaper has his sickle
poised to destroy, but God has extended His hand to
save. All God is looking for is a body that has been
prepared to do His will; He is looking for laborers.
The question is, who will sign up for the task?
For those who will, prepare for battle. Don't lose
hope. Be strong and of good courage.
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